​One thing that’s pretty clear to me with mine and Rick’s birthdays this week is that a lot of people are fearful of aging. Or at least, I assume that they are, because it seems that from comments made that they want us to either feel bad, or to be scared of getting older. Well, speak for yourself, because I’m proud to have made it this long, and I feel better than I ever have.

I’d say speak for yourself, but what people say is a 100% reflection on them, so truly they are speaking for themselves, because I don’t accept this fear of aging. I choose to celebrate fullness of life, and to be happy about what I’ve accomplished and excited about what lies ahead.

Here’s a question I’d like to pose: why do people have a problem with expecting the best? Why is everything about being afraid of what might happen, or of loss? Why don’t we hold on to our youthful enthusiasm of hope for the future, instead of growing to fear it? I know we’ve all heard that at least 90% of what we worry about never comes to pass, which means all of that fear and fretting are wasted mental energy over a lie. I don’t have time for that, and neither do you.

I’ve heard the “be realistic” speeches. Here’s reality: I’m in better health now than I was in my teens through 30’s, because I finally learned the importance of taking care of myself. I don’t get sick nearly as much (knock on wood), and I feel better than I ever have physically and mentally – so phooey on falling apart in your 40’s. It doesn’t have to be that way. We are prepared for future possibilities, but as Dad says, anything can happen, and worrying won’t change that. And that anything has as much capacity for good as it does for bad. You can wear yourself out with worry, or plan and then move forward hoping for the best. I choose expecting the best. It feels better, and it seems that life is easier and flows better that way.

Believe me, I know reality. Life kicked my butt up one way and down the other in my mid to late 30’s, and I truly learned the meaning of “all I fear has come to pass.” But you know what else I learned during those years? That a bad attitude made it worse. My anger and worry did nothing but make the problems bigger, which meant they lasted longer. In short, I sabotaged myself, and that was a complete waste. I could have handled things better and come out of that season faster if I realized sooner that fixing the world around me was directly connected to fixing myself. People kept telling me to get my crap together, and eventually I got disgusted enough that I did it – much to their surprise (and offense to some). I upped my standards so, as the saying goes, up yours.

I had to get that out. It’s been building up over years of working hard to get myself in order while clearly seeing that those who criticized me demonstrated that they don’t have the ability to follow their own advice. Sometimes, you have to get those frustrations out so you can move on. Ok, that one’s out, so here we go back on the sunny side --

My life isn’t perfect. There are still nasty surprises, unforeseen circumstances, and jerks around. But I have chosen to focus more on blessing and harvest than on anxiety and despair. My great aunt’s favorite Bible verse was Romans 8:28 that we know that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord. Well, I do love the Lord, and I choose to believe that even the unpleasant things can work out for good in the end. And here’s the catch: the end isn’t here yet. While I breathe, I hope, and I still have more good years ahead with many exciting people and adventures. So no, I won’t live in fear of getting older. I'm filled with hope and excitement for the future. Heck, I’ve always been a late bloomer. I’m just getting good and started! Lasting things take time for preparation before manifestation, and I believe a breakthrough is here!

You can’t prove happiness; you can only reflect it through words and actions. And what I see around me is a lot of fear. I’m sorry, folks, but I do understand because I’ve been on a 10 year journey to overcome the worry demon myself. I just couldn’t live like that anymore. Joy on the Journey, the sequel to Battleground Earth that I’m working on, addresses many of these issues that drag people down, and how I’ve learned to handle them through prayer, Biblical study, wisdom through life experience, and therapy. I see now that the world desperately needs this book, and I’m going to bring it to completion after I publish the last book of The Earthside Trilogy, in 2018 or 2019, if the Lord wills. In the meantime, if you need a guide on how to improve your mind, I highly recommend The Secret,The Power, and Own Best Friend. These books changed my perspective, and are in line with many other titles I’ve read (Christian and secular) on the power of positive thinking.

That’s all today. Take care. Have a Happy Friday tomorrow and a wonderful weekend.

Bye!

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Sherri the Writer

By day, I'm a program assistant. By night, I'm an independent author. My fiction is a dark mirror to the reality I see every day.